Primera localización de un dormidero de milano real Milvus milvus L., 1758 en un eucaliptal en Álava

During the 2020-2021 census to determine the wintering population of Red kite (Milvus milvus) in the Iberian peninsula by counting the number of communal roosts, one such roost was observed in a small reforested area of eucalyptus (genus Eucalyptus) in the northwest of the province of Álava (Basque Country-Spain). Although roosts located on this kind of arboreal substrate are rare, our observation suggests the hypothesis that Red kites will use eucalyptus if the atmospheric conditions are particularly adverse. Therefore, we propose that the distribution and winter ecology of Iberian breeding populations of Red kite be clarified with urgency, the study of which is hampered by the arrival of a multitude of conspecifics of central and northern-European origin in winter

Nine Maxims for the Ecology of Cold-Climate Winters

Frozen winters define life at high latitudes and altitudes. However, recent, rapid changes in winter conditions have highlighted our relatively poor understanding of ecosystem function in winter relative to other seasons. Winter ecological processes can affect reproduction, growth, survival, and fitness, whereas processes that occur during other seasons, such as summer production, mediate how organisms fare in winter. As interest grows in winter ecology, there is a need to clearly provide a thought-provoking framework for defining winter and the pathways through which it affects organisms. In the present article, we present nine maxims (concise expressions of a fundamentally held principle or truth) for winter ecology, drawing from the perspectives of scientists with diverse expertise. We describe winter as being frozen, cold, dark, snowy, less productive, variable, and deadly. Therefore, the implications of winter impacts on wildlife are striking for resource managers and conservation practitioners. Our final, overarching maxim, “winter is changing,” is a call to action to address the need for immediate study of the ecological implications of rapidly changing winters.